In the first of a two-part feature, Gary Collinson looks at 23 actors who could have found themselves uttering the iconic line, “The name’s Bond. James Bond…”
Despite the fact that Daniel Craig is only just gearing up for the production of his third outing as 007 in Sam Mendes’ oft-delayed Bond 23 (a.k.a. Skyfall), this year has already seen talk shifting towards Craig’s eventual successor, with actors such as Christian Bale, Michael Fassbender, Clive Owen and Sam Worthington all linked to the coveted role. Of course, such rampant speculation is nothing new and these are just the latest names to join an extensive list of actors said to have been under consideration for James Bond at one time or another during the superspy’s illustrious screen career. Here, we look at twenty-three stars who found themselves in contention for Bond and give our verdict on how they might have coped in the role of Ian Fleming’s secret agent…
Sean Bean
Before he made his mark in Hollywood with the likes of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Game of Thrones, Sean Bean was best known for his role in the historical television drama Sharpe, which brought him to the attention of the Bond producers during the search for Timothy Dalton’s replacement. Although Bean lost out to Pierce Brosnan for GoldenEye, he did secure his licence to kill as the film’s villain – former agent 006, Alec Trevelyan.
Verdict: Licence to Kill
Richard Burton
After a number of failed attempts to launch Bond as a film franchise, Ian Fleming collaborated with screenwriter Jack Whittingham and producer Kevin McClory on an original script entitled James Bond, Secret Agent. Fleming’s plan was to lure director Alfred Hitchcock and Hollywood star Richard Burton to the project, and when both declined he went on to adapt the script into the novel Thunderball, leading to a legal dispute with Kevin McClory that culminated with the release of the unofficial Bond, Never Say Never Again.
Verdict: Licence to Kill
James Brolin
American actor James Brolin was considered as a replacement for the aging Roger Moore following the release of For Your Eyes Only in 1981. Brolin went as far as taking part in a screen test alongside Bond girl Maud Adams before Moore was convinced to return for a sixth outing as 007 in Octopussy, which went head-to-head with the unofficial Bond, Never Say Never Again, starring Sean Connery. It proved to be a wise move by Eon to stick with Moore, who came out victorious against Connery in terms of box office receipts.
Verdict: Killed in Action
Michael Caine
When Sean Connery chose to depart the James Bond franchise after You Only Live Twice, Eon considered a host of potential replacements before settling on the Australian model George Lazenby. Among the candidates was Michael Caine, who had recently brought the Bond-inspired Harry Palmer to the screen in a trio of films based upon Len Deighton’s novels and produced by Harry Saltzman – The IPCRESS File, Funeral in Berlin and Billion Dollar Brain. Not wanting to be typecast as a spy, Caine turned down the role of Bond and later returned as Palmer in the 1990s for two original adventures – Bullet to Beijing and Midnight in Saint Petersburg.
Verdict: Killed in Action
Henry Cavill
As Eon prepared to relaunch their franchise with 2006’s Casino Royale, Henry Cavill was said to have made it to a final shortlist of four actors (the others being Goran Visnjic, Sam Worthington and Daniel Craig) before being rejected due to concerns over him being too young for the part. Cavill also lost out on the lead in Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns but finally nabbed that role earlier this year for the upcoming Man of Steel, so I’d not discount him from returning to contention once Craig’s tenure as 007 eventually draws to a close.
Verdict: Missing, Presumed Dead
Clint Eastwood
Following Sean Connery’s second departure from the Bond franchise after 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever, the producers attempted to persuade Hollywood actor and American icon Clint Eastwood to swap Harry Callahan’s .44 Magnum for 007’s Walther PPK, but the Dirty Harry star refused to make Eon’s day as he chose to decline the opportunity: “I thought James Bond should be British,” Eastwood later recalled. “I am of British descent but by that same token, I thought that it should be more of the culture there and also, it was not my thing.”
Verdict: Killed in Action
Michael Gambon
With George Lazenby vacating the role of Bond after a solitary outing in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, a number of replacements were considered before Eon tempted Sean Connery back to the role with the offer of a bumper payday for 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever. Among the alternatives was Michael Gambon – perhaps best known for his recent work as Albus Dumbledore in the last six Harry Potter movies – and although there was never an offer on the table, Gambon was reluctant anyway, believing that he didn’t possess the looks required to portray the suave secret agent.
Verdict: Killed in Action
John Gavin
Of all the names to appear on this list, American actor John Gavin came the closest to appearing on screen as 007, with the Psycho and Spartacus star actually securing the role of James Bond for Diamonds Are Forever before Sean Connery agreed to return and his licence was revoked. Gavin was paid in full for his troubles however and was later approached to star in Live and Let Die until producer Harry Saltzman decided that the part should go to an Englishman. Given that Hitchcock referred to Gavin as “The Stiff” during the making of Psycho, perhaps it was a wise decision.
Verdict: Killed in Action
Mel Gibson
With MGM’s financial difficulties leading to countless delays on Bond 23, rumours emerged in 2009 that Eon were lining up a number of potential replacements for Daniel Craig in the event that he got sick of waiting on the studio and decided to call time on his career as the secret agent. One such candidate was Mel Gibson, with the Lethal Weapon star supposedly ruled out due to being “too short and too famous for the role”, rather than any of those accusations about him being a sexist, racist, homophobic, wife-beating, alcoholic anti-Semite.
Verdict: Dishonorable Discharge / Killed in Action
Cary Grant
A long-time friend of Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli, screen legend Cary Grant was offered the role of in 1961, after laying the template for the Bond franchise two years earlier as the daring hero of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic chase thriller North by Northwest – a film often described as “the first James Bond movie”. Grant – who was 57 at the time – felt that he was too old for the character and was only willing to commit to a single outing as Ian Fleming’s suave secret agent. Hoping to launch a series of films with Dr. No, the producers chose instead to continue their search, eventually settling on Sean Connery.
Verdict: Licence to Kill
Hugh Jackman
Fresh from his star-making turn as Wolverine in the X-Men franchise, Hugh Jackman was approached by the Bond producers and offered a three-picture deal to succeed Pierce Brosnan and become the second Australian to portray 007 after George Lazenby. He declined. “I was about to shoot X-Men 2 and Wolverine had become this thing in my life and I didn’t want to be doing two such iconic characters at once,” Jackman explained earlier this month, before leaving himself open for future consideration: “I think every male at some point thinks about playing James Bond so it was not right then, but it may be right if it comes back.”
Verdict: Missing, Presumed Dead
Continue to part two.
What are your thoughts on these candidates (and my verdicts)? Feel free to let us know in the comments section...
Gary Collinson (follow me on Twitter)
